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Dick Cheney on Government Reform

Vice President of the United States; Former Republican Representative (WY)


Needless regulation on employers costs $7,000 per worker

We must continue to reduce the burden of needless regulation on employers. The hidden costs of regulation amount to $7,000 per worker, and that slows job creation in America. Our administration is committed to reducing the burden of overregulation and making the rules simpler to understand. Small businesses should be focused on growing our economy and creating new jobs, not on fulfilling ineffective mandates from Washington, DC.
Source: Remarks at the National Minority Enterprise Conference Sep 30, 2003

Didn’t vote in local elections because his focus was global

Cheney acknowledged he failed to vote in 14 of the past 16 elections in Texas. He was dismissive of the nonfederal elections he missed. “Go look at the elections in Texas there, an awful lot of these were local issues--that Highland Park school board issue,” he said. Asked if local elections aren’t as important as federal elections, he said: “I’m sure they are for people that are connected with them. I was not involved in community affairs very extensively in Dallas. My focus was on global concerns.”
Source: Megan Garvey, Mark Z. Barabak, LA Times Sep 9, 2000

Accused in 1992 House banking scandal

In 1992, Cheney was named along with a number of representatives in the House banking scandal. He acknowledged overdrawing his account 21 times, but in a military-style briefing featuring blowups of canceled checks, Cheney showed the amounts ranged from $12 to $1,945. He also pointed out that he never went more than 5 days before a paycheck covered the overdrafts.

Cheney was also criticized for giving Pentagon briefings to supporters who had donated $5,000 to the RNC.

Source: Glen Johnson, Boston Globe, p. A12 Jul 26, 2000

Co-sponsored Line Item Veto for spending bills

Source: Thomas Register of Congressional Votes Jan 1, 1988

Campaign reform: more parties; less unions & corporations

Source: Thomas Register of Congressional Votes Jan 1, 1988

Co-sponsored Balanced Budget Amendment & spending reform

Source: Thomas Register of Congressional Votes Jan 1, 1986

Co-sponsored House TV coverage & legislative openness

Source: Thomas Register of Congressional Votes Jan 1, 1986

Sponsored bill for line-item veto on budgetary proposals

Source: Congressional Record Jan 1, 1985

Voted for Congress salary cap; against Chrysler bailout

Source: Congressional Record, in Poltics in America, Alan Ehrenhalt Jan 1, 1985

Other candidates on Government Reform: Dick Cheney on other issues:
George W. Bush
Dick Cheney
John Edwards
John Kerry

Third Party Candidates:
Michael Baradnik
Peter Camejo
David Cobb
Ralph Nader
Michael Peroutka

Democratic Primaries:
Carol Moseley Braun
Wesley Clark
Howard Dean
Dick Gephardt
Bob Graham
Dennis Kucinich
Joe Lieberman
Al Sharpton
Abortion
Budget/Economy
Civil Rights
Corporations
Crime
Drugs
Education
Energy/Oil
Environment
Families/Children
Foreign Policy
Free Trade
Govt. Reform
Gun Control
Health Care
Homeland Security
Immigration
Infrastructure/Technology
Jobs
Principles/Values
Social Security
Tax Reform
War/Iraq/Mideast
Welfare/Poverty
Adv: Avi Green for State Rep Middlesex 26, Somerville & Cambridge Massachusetts